Meta-systems have several definitions. In general, they link the concepts "system

System

System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....

" and "meta-". A "meta-system" is a system about other systems, such as describing, generalizing, modelling, or analyzing the other system(s).

It means, if a system S is described by the set of attributes A and these attributes are considered as abstract objects
(with their own properties/attributes), then their interrelations may form a meta-system of S.

For example, let a system Sx be described by measured objects (temperature, pressure, volume, etc.), then the general relation between abstract objects: temperature, pressure, volume, i.e. P*V/T =constant

Constant (mathematics)

In mathematics, a constant is a non-varying value, i.e. completely fixed or fixed in the context of use. The term usually occurs in opposition to variable In mathematics, a constant is a non-varying value, i.e. completely fixed or fixed in the context of use. The term usually occurs in opposition...

 (the ideal gas

Ideal gas

An ideal gas is a theoretical gas composed of a set of randomly-moving, non-interacting point particles. The ideal gas concept is useful because it obeys the ideal gas law, a simplified equation of state, and is amenable to analysis under statistical mechanics.At normal conditions such as...

 equation) defines the meta-system known as "meta Sx".
Also, the description of the structure of a given system is its meta-system.

According to Turchin

Valentin Turchin

Valentin Fyodorovich Turchin was a Soviet and American cybernetician and computer scientist. He developed the Refal programming language, the theory of metasystem transitions and the notion of supercompilation...

 and Joslyn

Cliff Joslyn

Cliff Joslyn is an American cognitive scientist, cyberneticist, and currently Chief Scientist for Knowledge Sciences at the Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in Seattle, Washington, USA.- Biography :...

 (1997), this "natural" systemic definition is not sufficient for their Theory of Meta-system Transition, it also is not equivalent to the definition of system of systems in Autopoietic Systems Theory, and it differs from the definition proposed by K.D. Palmer.

In the above context, systems of systems

System of systems

System of systems is a collection of task-oriented or dedicated systems that pool their resources and capabilities together to create a new, more complex system which offers more functionality and performance than simply the sum of the constituent systems...

are not meta-systems, and a few local domain-dependent definitions of meta-system are used.

In economics

In economics

Economics

Economics is the social science that analyzes the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services. The term economics comes from the Ancient Greek from + , hence "rules of the house"...

, meta-systems are like what Bataille calls general economies as opposed to the restricted economies of systems.

A book about the difference between general and restricted economies is Complementarity by Arkady Plotnitsky. In this case "meta" is defined as what is beyond: the meta-system is what lies beyond the system.

In mathematics, biology and psychology

In mathematics

Mathematics

Mathematics is the study of quantity, space, structure, and change. Mathematicians seek out patterns and formulate new conjectures. Mathematicians resolve the truth or falsity of conjectures by mathematical proofs, which are arguments sufficient to convince other mathematicians of their validity...

, biology

Biology

Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines...

 and psychology

Psychology

Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...

, many variables have occurred within structure

Structure

Structure is a fundamental, tangible or intangible notion referring to the recognition, observation, nature, and permanence of patterns and relationships of entities. This notion may itself be an object, such as a built structure, or an attribute, such as the structure of society...

s and systems that determined the results, discoveries, rate

Rate

In mathematics, a rate is a ratio between two measurements, often with different units. If the unit or quantity in respect of which something is changing is not specified, usually the rate is per unit time. However, a rate of change can be specified per unit time, or per unit of length or mass or...

s and value

Value (mathematics)

In mathematics, value commonly refers to the 'output' of a function. In the most basic case, that of unary, single-valued functions, there is one input and one output .The function f of the example is real-valued, since each and every possible function value is real...

(s) of sets, systems, and developments within systems, structures, systems within structures and sets of structures.

A mathematical-modelling rule system for a domain

Scientific modelling

Scientific modelling is the process of generating abstract, conceptual, graphical and/or mathematical models. Science offers a growing collection of methods, techniques and theory about all kinds of specialized scientific modelling...

 D is an example of a meta-system in mathematics and science

Science

Science is a systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe...

, for similar and consistency

Consistency

Consistency can refer to:* Consistency , the psychological need to be consistent with prior acts and statements* "Consistency", an 1887 speech by Mark Twain...

 of concrete or frequency

Frequency

Frequency is the number of occurrences of a repeating event per unit time. It is also referred to as temporal frequency.The period is the duration of one cycle in a repeating event, so the period is the reciprocal of the frequency...

 found in models within a domain.
These are all mode

Mode

Mode may mean:* Transport mode, a means of transportation* Block cipher modes of operation, in cryptography* A technocomplex of stone tools...

s or models; where commonalities are more consistent with consecutive scores or values within a ranged order

Range (statistics)

In the descriptive statistics, the range is the length of the smallest interval which contains all the data. It is calculated by subtracting the smallest observation from the greatest and provides an indication of statistical dispersion.It is measured in the same units as the data...

 and are good indicators for gauging probabilities

Probability

Probability is ordinarily used to describe an attitude of mind towards some proposition of whose truth we arenot certain. The proposition of interest is usually of the form "Will a specific event occur?" The attitude of mind is of the form "How certain are we that the event will occur?" The...

 traits (psychology) or properties (biology).

In cultural studies and sociology

Meta-systems in cultural studies

Cultural studies

Cultural studies is an academic field grounded in critical theory and literary criticism. It generally concerns the political nature of contemporary culture, as well as its historical foundations, conflicts, and defining traits. It is, to this extent, largely distinguished from cultural...

 and sociology

Sociology

Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...

 refer to contexts, milieux, situations, ecosystem

Ecosystem

An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....

s, environments

Natural environment

The natural environment encompasses all living and non-living things occurring naturally on Earth or some region thereof. It is an environment that encompasses the interaction of all living species....

 and the biological process

Biological process

A biological process is a process of a living organism. Biological processes are made up of any number of chemical reactions or other events that results in a transformation....

 with the use of commonalities in behavioral trait

Trait

Trait may refer to:* Trait, a characteristic or property of some object* Trait , which involve genes and characteristics of organisms* Trait theory, an approach to the psychological study of personality...

s and human developments found surrounding a social

Social

The term social refers to a characteristic of living organisms...

 or scientific system which the system must interact with in order to remain viable. Meta-systems have different structures and also are complementary to other structures of such systems. Without this complementarity in the values, bonding

Human bonding

Human bonding is the process of development of a close, interpersonal relationship. It most commonly takes place between family members or friends, but can also develop among groups such as sporting teams and whenever people spend time together...

s, or tact

Tact

Tact may refer to:* Tact , a term used by B. F. Skinner for a type of verbal operant* TACT * TACT * TACT Records, a record label* Tact Meyers, a Galaxy Angel character...

 the systems could not remain productive, viable or operational.

In cybernetics

The term "meta-system" (or "metasystem") in cybernetics

Cybernetics

Cybernetics is the interdisciplinary study of the structure of regulatory systems. Cybernetics is closely related to information theory, control theory and systems theory, at least in its first-order form...

 is synonymous with management

Management

Management in all business and organizational activities is the act of getting people together to accomplish desired goals and objectives using available resources efficiently and effectively...

 system

System

System is a set of interacting or interdependent components forming an integrated whole....

 or control system

Control system

A control system is a device, or set of devices to manage, command, direct or regulate the behavior of other devices or system.There are two common classes of control systems, with many variations and combinations: logic or sequential controls, and feedback or linear controls...

. Stafford Beer, who founded management cybernetics

Management cybernetics

Management cybernetics is the field of cybernetics concerned with management and organizations. The notion of cybernetics and management was first introduced by Stafford Beer in the late 1950s-Cybernetics and Complexity:...

 with his Viable System Model

Viable System Model

The viable systems model, or VSM is a model of the organisational structure of any viable or autonomous system. A viable system is any system organised in such a way as to meet the demands of surviving in the changing environment. One of the prime features of systems that survive is that they are...

, speaks of metasystems that apply metalanguages which are able to find means of making decisions when necessary improvements cannot be made. In computer science

Computer science

Computer science or computing science is the study of the theoretical foundations of information and computation and of practical techniques for their implementation and application in computer systems...

 this is known as the halting problem

Halting problem

In computability theory, the halting problem can be stated as follows: Given a description of a computer program, decide whether the program finishes running or continues to run forever...

. Here metalanguage

Metalanguage

Broadly, any metalanguage is language or symbols used when language itself is being discussed or examined. In logic and linguistics, a metalanguage is a language used to make statements about statements in another language...

 works in a larger context than the language it describes and has more variety

Variety (cybernetics)

In cybernetics the term variety denotes the total number of distinct states of a system.- Overview :The term Variety was introduced by W. Ross Ashby to denote the count of the total number of states of a system. The condition for dynamic stability under perturbation was described by his Law of...

.

See also

• Abstraction
  Abstraction
  Abstraction is a process by which higher concepts are derived from the usage and classification of literal concepts, first principles, or other methods....
  
  
• Generalization
  Generalization
  A generalization of a concept is an extension of the concept to less-specific criteria. It is a foundational element of logic and human reasoning. Generalizations posit the existence of a domain or set of elements, as well as one or more common characteristics shared by those elements. As such, it...
  
  
• Meta-knowledge
• Metamodeling
  Metamodeling
  Metamodeling, or meta-modeling in software engineering and systems engineering among other disciplines, is the analysis, construction and development of the frames, rules, constraints, models and theories applicable and useful for modeling a predefined class of problems...
  
  
• Metasystem transition
  Metasystem transition
  A metasystem transition is the emergence, through evolution, of a higher level of organization or control.Prime examples are the origin of life, the transition from unicellular to multicellular organisms, the emergence of eusociality or symbolic thought...
  
  
• Metatheory
  Metatheory
  A metatheory or meta-theory is a theory whose subject matter is some other theory. In other words it is a theory about a theory. Statements made in the metatheory about the theory are called metatheorems....
  
  
• Specialization (logic)